Article of furniture



M 11, 1965 L. MIDYETTE, JR 3,133,034

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed 001;. 8, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Allen L. Midyefle, Jr.

May 11, 1965 A. L. MIDYETTE, JR

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1963 INVENTOR. Allen L. Midyefle, Jr.

ATTORNEY May 11, 1965 A. MIDYETTE, JR

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 8, 1963 INVENTOR. Allen L. Midyefle, Jr.

ATTORNEY May 11, 1965 A1,. MIDYETTE, JR

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE 1' SheetsJSheet 4 Filed Oct. 8, 1965 INVENTOR. Allen L. Midyefle, Jr.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 0. F

3,183,034- ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Allen L. Midyette, Jr., Manson, Mass, assignor to American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation, New York, N .Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 314,773 1 Claim. ((11.297-239) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in furniture such as a chair or table or other similar pieces of furniture.

An object of this invention is to provide a base or supporting structure constructed to receive a plurality of different chair members or table top members, for example.

Another object is to provide a supporting structure which is constructed and arranged for lateral ganging of the furniture pieces.

Another object is to provide a supporting structure and a chair member secured thereon such that a plurality of the structures and members can be stacked or nested.

Another object is to provide :a furniture piece which can be stacked with similar pieces in a stable pile which is not easily upset.

Another object is to provide a novel seat member comprising a molded seat portion and back portion which member is particularly adapted for cooperation with a supporting structure such as legs.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the apparatus becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a plurality of supporting structures and chair members secured or mounted thereon shown in stacked or vertically nested relation,

FIG. 2 is a view in front elevation of a supporting structure showing a portion of a second supporting structure in lateral ganged relation thereto,

FIG. 3 is a detail view in vertical section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, but showing only a portion of the upper chair member and its supporting structure,

FIG. 4 is a detail view looking from the rear toward the front of a portion of the supporting frame structure,

FIG. 5 is a detail view in front elevation of the stacked or vertically nested chairs of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation showing a supporting structure and table member mounted thereon,

FIG. 7 is a detail view on the line 7-7 of PEG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a view in front elevation showing a plurality of table members and their supporting structures in ganged relation, and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are detail views similar to FIG. 7 but showing two other forms of mounting of a furniture piece on a supporting structure.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, numeral 1 designates a supporting base structure or frame which comprises a pair of inverted U-shaped frame members. Each of these frame members has an upwardly inclined front leg and a rear upwardly inclined leg memher 3, the leg members being joined at their upper ends by a horizontal base portion 4. Each of the leg members terminates at its lower end in a swiveled foot member 5. The front leg members are joined rigidly together adjacent to their upper ends by a crossbar 6, which is preferably welded at its ends to the member 2.

Extending between and rigidly joining the rear legs 3, 3 there is a rear cross bar 7 having a horizontal mid-portion iil dfidd Patented May ll, 1965 8 and inclined end portions 9, 9 which intersect the horizontal plane of the front cross member 6 thus providing a fore and aft locating line for stacking of the chairs as will be described. The ends of the bar 7 abut the upper end portions of the rear legs 3, 3 and are preferably welded thereto.

Bridging the front and rear cross bars 6 and 7 there are a pair of supporting members 10, preferably upwardly open metal channel members having upwardly extending legs or sides 11 and a base portion 12 which seats on and is rigidly secured to the cross bars as by welding. The members 10 preferably seat on the bar 7 at the bend between portions 8 and 9 and extend fore and aft in perpendicular planes and perpendicular to the bars 6 and 7. Members 10 preferably extend somewhat beyond or are of greater length than the distance between the outer faces of the bars 6 and 7.

The supporting channel members 16, 1t) receive and rigidly hold in place a furniture part which in this instance is a chair seat 13 having a back 14. The seat 13 and back 14 are of moldable synthetic material such as polypropylene plastic having fore and aft extending vertical ribs or flanges 15, 15 on the underside of the seat. These ribs 15, 15 are laterally spaced (parallel to each other) to fit between the legs :or sides of the supporting channel members 19. The flanges 15, 15 are secured to the members It) by bolts or rivets 16 passed through aligned holes in the flanges and channel sides.

The seat 13 and back 14 are of a modified bucket style having seat side portion 17, 17 simulating arms and extending front to rear. These side portions merge into side portions 18, 18 of the back. The continuous side portions 17, 18 are U-shaped and have turned over side edge portions 19 extending substantially the full length of the seat and back. These edge portions 19 are of greatly increased depth or fore and aft width at the junction area 21 of the seat and back to give added strength to the chair portion and particularly the back 14. The seat slopes slightly downward rearwardly and has a downwardly curved front lip or edge portion 21 for comfort of the under leg portion of the chair occupant.

The side frames formed by the legs 2, 3 and base or connecting portion 4 have sufficient strength against fore and aft spreading of the legs by reason of the leg crosssection so as not to require any cross or tie member between the front and rear legs. Additional strength is, however, obtained as an incident to the use of a chair or furniture ganging means which is tied between the front and rear legs. This gauging means comprises upper and lower bars or rods 22, 23 which are welded or otherwise rigidly secured at their ends to both the right and left front and rear legs, as at 24. At one side of the furniture piece say, at the right side when facing the chair, the upper and lowerTods 22, 23 support an eye or loop means 25 extending laterally outward and providing a vertical hole or aperture. This eye means 25 is preferably formed from a U-shaped rod or bar having legs 26, 26 extending vertically across the inside faces of the rods 22, 23 at their mid-portion and to which it is welded. The top end or base portion 27 is turned or bent over at a right angle at the top face of the rod 22 so that it and the adjacent portions of the legs lie in a horizontal plane projecting laterally outward and forming with the rod 22 an eye or loop portion.

At the other side of the furniture piece which would therefore be at the left side when facing the chair, there is a hook means 23 of U-shaped form in side elevation having vertical leg portions 29, 29 which extend vertically across and arewelded to the inside faces of the left side rods 22, 23 at their mid-portion. The upper end or base. portion 30 of the hook means 28 is turned 3 or bent outward and then downward to provide a hook. The spacing between the legs 29 is, of course, less than between the legs 26 by sufficient distance to permit the hook 3%) to enter an eye similar to eye 27 on another chair. It will also be apparent that the outward turned portions of the hook means 28 must be vertically above the horizontal loop or eye 27 and that the down-turned portion of the hook 30 must extend vertically below the eye 27 to provide interlocking or hooked engagement of the hook and eye of laterally adjacent pieces of furniture.

FIG. 2 illustrates the ganging or interlocking of two furniture pieces here shown as chairs.

At the left of the view when facing FIG. 2 there is shown a portion of the second chair 31 having a front leg 2a which is tied to its aligned rear leg (not shown) by upper and lower cross bars or rods 22a, 23:! similar to rods 22, 23. Secured to these rods 22a and 23a there is an eye means 25a substantially identical to the eye means 25 and having its loop portion 27a inter-locked with the hook means 28 of the adjacent chair. This second chair is, of course, substantially identical to the chair heretofore described and accordingly has hook means similar to 28, but not shown, as its construction and attachment to the front and rear legs will be readily understood from the description of the means 28.

The furniture pieces or chairs can be vertically stacked or nested by positioning one upon the other as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. The upper chair 32 has its parts designated by the same numerals but with the suffix b as are used to designate the like parts of the chair of FIG. 1 heretofore described. The cross bars 6 seat upon the arms 17 adjacent their front ends. The inclined portions 9 engage the arms 17 adjacent their point of merging into the side portions 18 of the back. The inclination of the portions 9 tends to lock the upper chair against lateral displacement as the upper chair would have to be raised to permit it to have lateral movement.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 there is illustrated another preferred embodiment of the invention, the furniture piece here being a table 40 having inverted U-shaped frame members 41 positioned in spaced side by side or parallel relation.

The frame members 41 comprise legs 42, 43 joined at their upper ends by a cross member portion 44. The members 42, 43 and portion 44 are preferably a single piece of bent tubing. The frame members 41, 41 are rigidly joined together by parallel cross members 45, 45 welded at their ends to the upper ends of the legs 42, 43 which they abut. Seated upon the cross members 45, 45 adjacent the frame members 41, 41 there are channel. members 46 preferably of metal which are rigidly secured as by welding to the cross members 45. The channel members 46 receive vertical ribs or flanges 47, 47 extending in spaced parallel relation from the underside of a table member 48 which is preferably a molded board of synthetic material. The frame members 41 are provided with interlocking means so that tables can be locked in gang or end to end relation to other tables. The interlocking means is preferably the same as that used for the chairs of FIG. 2 and therefore the like parts will be designated by the same numeral with the suffix C. The manner of interlocking being clearly apparent from the drawings and the foregoing description.

In FIG. 9, there is shown another form of rib or mounting means for the furniture part. Here the chair seat or table top has molded into it one flange 50 of an I-beam 511. The other flange 52 of the beam provides a firm, broad seating surface for engagement with the cross members which join the furniture leg structure. The parallel I-beams are preferably welded to the cross members 4:3, 45 or 6 and 7.

in FIG. 10, there is shown still another form of mounting means for the furniture part. Here two cooperating angle bars 53, 54- extend transversely of the cross members 45 and are bolted or otherwise secured together as at 55. The bar 53 is fixed to the furniture part while the bar 54 is welded, for example, to the members 45. In this form the top furniture portions may be easily removed from the supporting portions for interchange of parts.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claim the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

A chair comprising two inverted U-shaped frame members with the legs of each member diverging downwardly and with the base portion being substantially horizontal, a front cross member rigidly joining said frame members adjacent the upper ends of the front legs, a rear cross member rigidly joining said frame members adjacent the upper ends of the rear legs, upwardly open channel members mounted on and extending between said front and said rear cross members adjacent said frame members, a molded chair seat and back having fore and aft ribs spaced laterally to extend into the grooves of said channel members, and means securing said ribs to said channel members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,228,954 6/17 Neuens 297-445 1,975,405 10/34 Pryale 297 2,642,126 6/53 Grabendike 297451 2,893,469 7/59 Eames 297239 2,952,300 9/60 Cohen 297239 2,978,111 4/61 La Bonia 1081l4 3,024,066 3/62 Anderson 297248 3,025,105 3/62 Nash 297248 3,031,227 4/62 Van Buren 297239 3,038,758 6/62 Molla 297239 3,053,493 9/62 Stafford 297239 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,097,948 2/55 France.

187,981 6/37 Switzerland.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

